Category Kilimanjaro

Mission complete: Update 10

Erich Ellis stepped on an Improved Explosive Device (IED) in Afghanistan.  He came home and spent thirty days in a hospital bed being poked and prodded night and day.  He endured ten operations during that month. Nick Perales also stepped on an IED in Afghanistan.  Since he was “in cover” during that time in a […]

The story of the summit: Update 9

As told by Kilimanjaro Warriors’ founder Steve Connolly As we departed Barafu Camp at 11 p.m. on February 15th, snow began to fall from the shadowy sky. With only our headlamps to light the way, the guides and our team of 11 formed a line and began the arduous trek from 16,000 feet to the […]

Summit attempt: Update 8

I have yet to receive confirmation that the Warriors successfully summited the mountain, but stay tuned and I should know more information tomorrow. This is what their day should have looked like.  Today the Warriors face their greatest challenge and their goal. At twilight, they left Barafu Camp and hiked several miles up to Uhuru […]

Barafu Camp: Update 7

According to a brief update, the Kilimanjaro Warriors successfully climbed the Barranco Wall yesterday. Everyone felt great and enjoyed the adventure as they scaled the wall using their hands. Today the team left Karanga Camp and hiked 3.5 miles to Barafu Camp, 15,200 feet. The journey to Barafu camp (below) was slow, with astounding views of […]

Personal reports & Karanga Camp: Update 6

As they hiked down hills and through boulders, day four was extremely strenuous for the amputee climbers. Their bodies were aching and sore, but they were full of positivity and determination to press on. The route has been tough on Kisha‘s leg. The constant battery has caused an irritating headache, but she remains cheerful and will […]

Moir & Barranco Camps: Update 5

On Tuesday morning the team left Shira Camp and began the six-mile hike to Moir Camp, 13,650 feet. They trekked about seven hours east toward Kibo’s glaciated peak (see photo below) and arrived at Moir Camp situated in a vast gorge near massive beds of volcanic rock. Photo Source Today, the team left Moir Camp […]

Londorossi Gate: Update 3

As the Kilimanjaro Warriors embark on this monumental goal for recovery, we would like to send well wishes and encouragement to RB Helterbrand as he begins to tackle a mountain of his own. We are rooting for you, RB! The Kilimanjaro Warriors had an early and wet morning as they departed their hotel for Mount […]

Here we go! Update 1

6 February 2014 The Kilimanjaro Warriors had several early obstacles to overcome as we began our journey.  Unfortunately a snowstorm hit the DFW area the day before everyone’s scheduled arrival. The first obstacle involved Steve Martin’s flight from Phoenix….it was cancelled!  Luckily through our great American Airlines representative, Toni Russell,  the AA Veterans Initiative Program […]

The why behind Kilimanjaro Warriors

A guest blog by Kilimanjaro Warriors’ founder, Steve Connolly As we are about to embark on our journey to summit Africa’s highest mountain, I wanted to explain what this journey means to me and why I wanted to begin a project like this. I want this project to be about our team, but I think […]

Cold weather training in North Carolina with the All Veteran Parachute Team

Last weekend, The All Veteran Parachute team hosted the Kilimanjaro Warriors in Fayetteville, North Carolina. We were invited to do our first cold weather training hike to help prepare for our upcoming expedition.  With the journey to Mount Kilimanjaro beginning in just three weeks, this was our last session to test our equipment and our […]